It’s a sad reflection of the times we live in that in Melbourne there are now clearly ‘no-go’ zones that have been established.

After the sun goes down there’s more then a few areas out in the western suburb wastelands of Melbourne that you couldn’t pay me to walk through. The apex of which is probably Sunshine station.

Sometime over the last decade or so Sudanese refugees have decided to take over Sunshine station and now anyone walking in the area after dark faces being eyed off and, if you look vulnerable enough, set upon.

These gangs of Sudanese youth have been at times caught and when faced with the repercussions of the law stood opposite some pretty hefty charges.

Unfortunately leniency doesn’t even begin to describe the atrociously abundant generosity Australian courts have towards Sudanese refugees.

Kanan Kharbanda was walking with a friend to Sunshine station back in 2008. Upon nearing the station Kharbanda and his friend were approached by a gang of Sudanese refugees. One of them asked Kharbanda for a dollar and then the gang proceeded to kick the crap out of Kharbanda and his friend.

As a result of the attack Kharbanda ‘suffered a fractured eye socket and broken nose. He has lost the sight in his right eye‘.

So, two innocent people walking around Melbourne set upon by a gang and viciously beaten. Once apprehended what would you expect an appropriate sentence to be?

Deportation…? Nope.

Jail time…? Nope.

Anything remotely resembling justice…? Of course not, this is Australia.

The three youths charged over the attack on Kharbanda all got off scott free.

The two younger youths were sentenced to youth supervision orders. A youth supervision order means you have to see a youth worker a few times a week and perhaps do some community work. Crap on about how hard life was in Sudan macheteing people every day and bing badda boom you get to live your life unchanged.

Bit different to losing an eye for no apparent reason.

Meanwhile the third gang member charged, Majang Ngor was yesterday handed down a suspended sentence.

The judge suspended the jail term for 15 months and ordered Ngor to do 40 hours of community work, saying the greatest public benefit would come from his rehabilitation.


Sorry but how does the public benefit from this thugs rehabilitation? If I was facing serious jail time I’d probably stop binge drinking, finish year 12 and get a job at McDonalds too.

These actions are hardly a sign of Ngor having worked ‘hard to reform himself‘ as Judge Cohen put it. Working hard to appease a lenient court system perhaps but going above and beyond the rehabilitation process to warrant a suspended sentence?

Not even close.

What really irks me is the pitiful sentence Ngor got seems to be a result of the inexplicably lenient sentences the two other youths involved in the bashing received.

In Ngor’s case the prosecution called for a four year jail sentence, which in my mind is completely adequate given the circumstances.

Judge Cohen refused to sentence Ngor to anything remotely close to jail time noting that

Prosecutors had wanted him jailed for four years.

this would be unjust, given the penalties imposed on gang members who were more culpable. Ngor hadn’t been an instigator or a ringleader.


So because two other judges handed down completely unjust limp dick sentences, a third man is then by precedent also handed down a similarly limp dick rule.

Is there some unwritten rule that judges must not show any signs of independent thinking?

The Director of Public Prosecutions is appealing the Youth Supervision Orders handed down to the two other youths, one would think an appropriate sentence would add sizeable weight to their argument and pursuit of actual justice.

Instead we get a judge who acknowledges overly lenient sentences were handed out in two prior cases and like a sheep follows suit. Y’know, judicial status quo and all that.

The wider implications of these cases are that it sends a clear sign to Sudanese gangs that it’s open season on anyone living in Australia. Go and attack someone, get it out of your system, then stop drinking, crap on about life in Sudan, get a job and we’ll look after you.

By handing down such pathetic sentences when real crimes have been committed, the courts are actively encouraging that Australians are nothing more then punching bags to be used by the Sudanese to rehabilitate themselves.

Kanan Kharbanda lost an eye after being attacked by a gang. Somehow we’re supposed to believe that it’s in our best interests this gang be reintegrated into Australian society?

Australia, there’s nothing like it.



Related posts that might interest you:
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  2. A week of garbage in the Australian courts
  3. Religion has no place in Australian courts
  4. Why Aboriginal law has no place in Australian courts